This one pan meal is restaurant-worthy but so easy to make!

Chicken Marsala has tender chicken breasts simmered in a mushroom Marsala sauce for an easy meal in about 30 minutes!

plate of Chicken Marsala with mushroom sauce

What is Chicken Marsala?

Chicken Marsala is an Italian-American classic chicken, mushrooms, and seasonings cooked in a creamy Marsala wine sauce.

  • It looks and feels fancy but is easy to make in about 30 minutes.
  • It uses a handful of staple ingredients and Marsala wine.
  • You’ll need just one skillet—easy cleanup!
chicken, mushrooms, shallot, flour, oil, wine, butter and seasonings to make Easy Chicken Marsala Recipe with labels

Ingredients for Chicken Marsala

  • Chicken: I use boneless chicken breasts, but boneless chicken thighs or cutlets are great too.
  • Marsala: Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily. Be sure to choose a dry Marsala wine and not the sweet variety, which is best used for making Italian desserts. It can be replaced with sherry, port, or Madeira.
  • Sauce: This Marsala sauce is made with chicken broth, butter, shallots, and thyme thickened with flour.
  • Mushrooms: Use any variety of mushrooms. I love baby Bella (aka cremini mushrooms), but white mushrooms or portobellos are also great options.

Variations

  • Flavor: Add garlic along with the mushrooms. You can replace shallot with red or white onion.
  • Creamy: While it’s not traditional, for a creamier sauce, whisk in about ¼ cup of heavy whipping cream at the end of Step 2.
  • Vegetables: Add chopped asparagus, spinach, or peas for more texture and color.

How to Make Chicken Marsala

  1. Cook seasoned chicken filets in oil and set them aside.
  2. Prepare the Marsala sauce, simmering until thickened.
  3. Return chicken to the pot and simmer until heated through (full recipe below).

Garnish with parsley and serve as desired.

Save it and Savor It

Keep leftover chicken Marsala in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop on medium heat.

Freeze cooled portions in zippered bags for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on medium heat.

What to Serve with Chicken Marsala

Did you make this Chicken Marsala Recipe? Leave a rating and comment below!

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pan of Chicken Marsala
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Chicken Marsala

This easy chicken marsala recipe combines tender chicken with a savory mushroom and Marsala wine sauce, for a cozy, restaurant-quality meal at home.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 servings
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Ingredients  

  • 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts 5 to 6 oz each
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper

For the Sauce

  • ¾ cup chicken stock or chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
  • 1 small shallot diced, or onion
  • 8 ounces mushrooms white or brown, sliced
  • 1 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup dry Marsala wine
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish

Instructions 

  • Cover the chicken breasts with plastic wrap and use the flat side of a meat mallet or a rolling pin to pound to ¼-inch thick. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
  • In a large skillet, preheat the olive oil over medium high heat. Cook the chicken in batches, 3-4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

To Make the Sauce

  • In the same pan, add 2 tablespoons butter, thyme, and shallot and cook over medium heat until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until juices are released, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 ½ tablespoons flour and cook for 1 minute more.
  • Pour in the Marsala wine and stock or broth and simmer until thick and bubbly, about 3 minutes.
  • Add chicken back into the pan and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
  • Garnish and serve over pasta.

Video

Notes

Marsala: Choose dry marsala wine for this recipe. Sweet marsala wine will make the final dish too sweet.
Chicken breasts: If they’re very large, they can be cut in half horizontally. Replace chicken breasts with 8 thin chicken cutlets.
Sauce: A creamier chicken Marsala can be made by adding ¼ cup of heavy cream to the sauce.
Leftovers: Keep leftover chicken marsala refrigerated for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop.
4.97 from 157 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 429 | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 683mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 386IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Chicken, Dinner, Entree, Main Course
Cuisine American, Italian
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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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4.97 from 157 votes (121 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. I do not like the texture of mushrooms, my husband loves them. I pulled them out of my serving but the flavor was very good. I’ve made it several times.4 stars

  2. I live in an independent living facility and we are not allowed to have stoves nor hot plates. I can have an air fryer and have one that I’ve yet to use. I’ve heard you can almost anything in them in a fraction of the time. Could this be done with an air fryer? Thanks.

  3. Flavor is very nice, chicken is tender. Pretty easy to make. Mine came out very pale, almost white not the nice color in your picture. Wondering if there should be another ingredient.4 stars

    1. Glad you enjoyed it! No ingredients are missing, the color difference could be due to the type of mushrooms (I used cremini) or brands of ingredients used.

  4. This recipe is amazing!! I have tried many, many of your recipes and they are ALL delicious!! Thank you Holly for bringing everyone such great, easy dishes!!!5 stars

  5. The reason I gave this dish only 4 stars is because we did not like the taste of marsala wine.
    The chicken, mushrooms and texture of the sauce was great. It was quick and easy to cook up. Just not our taste.
    Thanks for your recipes.4 stars

  6. This recipe is easy and very good. I use Semi-dry Marsala and it is so good. MY husband doesn’t eat the chicken, he doesn’t care for meat, but he loves the taste of the sauce that the Marsala makes. Easy, quick and very satisfying! It has become one of my go to recipes when time is short.
    Thanks Holly!!5 stars

    1. For this recipe, a white wine is a better option but you can also substitute it for additional chicken broth if you prefer. If you try it with red wine I would love to hear what you think of it!

  7. Would it be ok to double the sauce? This is one of my favorites from your site. I have made a lot of your recipes and just like all the others words can’t describe how good they are. Just seem to run out of sauce on this one .. Thanks so much for all you do ..

    1. I’m so glad you’ve loved the recipes James. This should double well, I would recommend a 12-inch skillet if you have one. You may need to add a few minutes of extra cooking time.

    1. Hi Candy, it will change the flavor slightly but you can replace the wine with additional chicken broth if you prefer.